READER PANEL

PROFILE

Kristen Alderson

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL)

Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL)

— ABC

Vital Statistics

Birthday:: May 29
Birthplace:: Pennsylvania
Years On Show:: 1998-present
Marital Status:: Single
Children:: None

THE 411

Kristen Alderson was born, and continues to be raised, in Pennsylvania. The oldest child of Kathy and Rich Alderson, she was barely out of diapers when she got the acting bug. When she was 5, she won the role of Molly in a touring company of Annie; she performed in the musical for nearly a year before she was offered the part of Todd and Blair's mischievous daughter, Starr Manning. Her mom and younger brother, Eddie Alderson, usually accompanied her to the set when she had to work; when OLTL needed a young actor to play Bo and Nora's son, Matthew, it seemed only natural that Eddie would get the part. Despite her increasingly busy schedule, Alderson attended a Catholic school in Pennsylvania through seventh grade, but decided to receive on-set tutoring for eighth grade. She intends to continue acting, but would also like to eventually go to college and get a teaching degree. In her spare time, she loves to sing, dance and swim.

Both Alderson siblings attend a high school in New York City tailored for students involved the performing arts. Kristen recently tackled her toughest storyline to date when Starr gave birth to a baby girl, who died a few hours later.

ET CETERA

—Was a cheerleader in junior high
—Experienced her first kiss on-screen this year when Starr kissed Travis (Connor Paolo)
—Signed a contract with OLTL in 2001, which made her the youngest soap star to ever have a contract

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Theater Roles
Annie, 1996

MEMORABLE QUOTES

"I don't understand why some actors are snotty and mean. Why can't they just do their job and be happy? I don't see what good it does to be mean to fans. They're the reason why we're working.
—Soap Opera Digest, 6/29/04

"It can be weird being famous ... most people have someone famous who they want to meet ... and to think that for some people, that's me, well, that's strange [laughs]."
—Digest, 6/29/04

"I said, '[Acting] would be my dream.' [My mom's] like, 'Kristen, you don't even know what a dream is.'"
—Digest, 10/15/02

"All I remember is walking in [to OLTL] and being overwhelmed by the cameras and the people and everything. Everything looks so big when you're so little."
—Digest, 10/15/02

"It was crazy. I wasn't expecting how emotional it was going to be. I was like, 'Oh, My gosh. I really felt like I just gave birth.' I wanted to go around like, 'Guess what? I just delivered a beautiful baby girl!' because I felt like I did."
—Weekly, 11/11/2008